Author's Note: Just as a note, if anyone thinks that Dustpelt's hysteria in the previous chapter was exaggerated, just think…how would you feel if you and your friend were walking down the street and some insanely scary people appeared out of nowhere and started eating your friend before a GIANT leapt out and started chasing and attacking you?
That's what I thought. And the same goes for Icetail's size; I've seen plenty of cats that would make a dog think twice before chasing it. In fact, Icetail was inspired by a cat named Randal that I met when I volunteered at my local animal shelter. So anyone going 'OMG, this girl has no sense of reality LOL', please hush. I'll work on getting some reference pictures for my cats made at some point in time.
XxXxX
It was dark.
Brambleclaw felt sick on his paws as he made his way through the dark thorns that lead to the ThunderClan camp. Silverpelt had fallen across the sky long before the tired warriors had finally managed to safely carry the gray warrior back to the safety of the hollow and every cat felt sick with fear and weariness. Every shadow seemed sinister and no cat dared to venture out alone, terrified after the story of the horrific encounter near the Sky Oak had swept through the camp.
It had been well past sunhigh before Leafpool had managed to get Ashfur to a semi-stable condition, but every cat knew that the warrior's life still rested in the paws of StarClan. Firestar had called for as many warriors he could spare from guarding the camp to protect Leapool and Ashfur as the medicine cat work furiously to save his life. Brightheart lay collapsed in the clearing, exhaustion stilling her paws from her constant running back and forth between the Sky Oak and the camp to retrieve herbs and cobwebs for Leafpool.
Cloudtail hunched over her, licking her pelt as his blue eyes darted suspiciously to every shadow within the clearing, unwilling to leave his mate so vulnerable in the clearing with the terrible creatures lurking the forest. Whitepaw sat crouch next to her mother and father, eyeing her mother's cobweb dressings as pale pink seeped through the sticky binds and shivering from the leaf-fall chill, but unwilling to leave them alone.
Brambleclaw tiredly followed Birchfall and Spiderleg as they carefully carried Ashfur to the medicine cat's den, taking as much care as possible not to jostle the injured cat. Ignoring his body's protests, he quickened his pace to hurry ahead, using his body to push aside the tendrils draping in front of the den to keep the prickly vines from brushing against the warrior's dressed injuries. Birchfall grunted his thanks as they picked their way in, laying the gray cat in the nest next to where Brackenfur lay heavily covered with cobwebs, his slumbering form twitched in what Brambleclaw could only imagine was a nightmare of the previous battle as the senior's face twisted with pain. Brambleclaw made to wake the agitated warrior, but stopped as mew sounded behind him.
"You fought well, Brambleclaw." Firestar sighed, sitting next to his deputy, stiff from his own injuries. He twitched his tail as Brambleclaw shook his head, his eyes downcast as he remembered the battle.
"I felt like a helpless kit in the battle, Firestar. I could do nothing against that…that monster." He murmured, shoulders falling defeated as he turned to look at the great warrior beside him. The truth roiling in his mind squeezed his heart as he threw his pride to the darkest corners of his mind. "If it weren't for you, Firestar, Icetail would have killed me."
He flinched as a soft chuckle rumbled from the ginger warrior, shame setting his ears on fire before his old mentor brushed his tail along his side comfortingly. Firestar stared at his injured warriors that filled the medicine den, the chuckle choking in his throat as he rasped, "I believe he would have killed us all, if it has so pleased him. And perhaps he will, in time come."
Shock clawed Brambleclaw's heart at the defeated tone his leader spoke in. Firestar had sounded as broken and tired as Bluestar had before the dog attack, as though he had lost all hope and was afraid to watch the clan he had worked so hard to make strong be slaughtered. The tom's gaze soon hardened back to that of the proud, unstoppable cat as a fearful wail trembled through the camp from the nursery. Ferncloud's fearful wails had echoed through the hollow throughout the day after she had heard of the news, voicing every clan cat's emotion. Both toms leapt to their paws in surprise as the darker shadow of the hollow came alive with thrashing, the drugged form of Dustpelt set alive by his mate's wails. Just as quickly as the thrashing had begun, however, he stilled into his herb-induced slumber.
"I think I will retire for the night. Get some rest, Brambleclaw," Firestar mewed, lifting himself stiffly to his paws as he turned to exit the den, "StarClan will have to walk with us if we hope to save our clan."
XxX
"I will devour every cat within that damn hole that they call a home!" Shadowhorse yowled, her tail lashing as she paced furiously before the twisted cavern of roots that her family had settled in. She whirled with an irritated hiss, raking her claws down the tree's exposed root to leave long scores that wept a fresh, earthy smell. Snarling with her still pent-up anger, she returned to pacing as she kept her eyes on her slumbering brother. Fire burned in her when she caught sight of the gash that raked down Shadowbat's side and hind leg and it was all she could do to not charge to the camp herself and maim the ugly she-cat that had marred her beloved brother.
Rockfire had placed a sharp smelling plant into the gash, licking his wound until it had stopped bleeding before she chewed the dark, fleshy leaves to smear into a pulp across the wound. The sharp-tempered she-cat had left stalked deeper into the forest a while ago, searching for other foul plants to smear on her brother's injury.
Shadowhorse could not complain, she could never deny that she felt strongly for the she-cat that had taken the role as her and Shadowbat's mother when the fox-hearted cat who had birthed them fled the day she and her littermate had opened their eyes. If it had not been for Rockfire's single kit dying from a weak heart, the dark cat may have not taken to two in and nursed them. She knew little about the mottled cat's past, but she was thankful that Rockfire's seasons of living alone before meeting her father had also given her the knowledge of countless plants. Her knowledge of which plant could best heal sickness or wounds, which plant could soothe a bellyache, and which plants would kill a cat in mere heartbeats had saved their lives many times over throughout their travels.
A rustling in the treetops stopped the red-eyed cat's angry movements as a shadow landed nimbly beside her, turning to give her an affectionate lick. She ducked her head, swiping a paw over her ear as she eyed her father indignantly. Icetail's sides rippled with a purr of amusement as he sat next to his kit, dropping the three squirrels he had been carrying by their tails and reaching out with a large paw to nudge her side.
"Honestly, Shadowhorse, you make enough racket to scare every bit of prey from here to the mountains, cat and critter alike." He meowed, dropping to a playful crouch as she swatted his paw from her side, wiggling his haunches before leaping at the smaller she-cat. Shadowhorse scrambled out of the way, twitching her whiskers at her father's playful mirth. She flashed her father a playful warning which was returned with a tail lash as the black cat edged forward. Her previous rage forgotten, she howled a playful battle cry as she launched herself onto her father's back, scrambling to crawl over onto his stomach as he attempted to roll on top of her. She stood crouched on his soft, round belly as he bent his head to look at her, his scarred face brightened with playful energy.
"I swear, Icetail, for all that fur you ripped earlier today, you honestly are just an overgrown kit." Rockfire mewed around the leaves and roots she carried as she landed neatly from the tree tops beside the two tussling cats. Flicking the large tom's muzzle with her tail as she padded past him to the roots where Shadowbat lay, she set about setting down the different items she had picked up with a careful eye. Icetail rolled to his paws as Shadowhorse hopped away from him, bounding to where the she-cat stood sniffing the injured cat beneath the tree.
"You're in a good mood, my dear Rockfire." He purred as he crept close the she-cat, brushing his tail against her side as she roused his drowsy kit to administer the herbs she had collected. He bent to give his son a lick between the ears as he blinked awake before turning his attention back to the cat next to him. He would never deny the affection that welled in his chest for this cat that had saved his prized kits from sure death, despite her more than obvious rejections of his courtings.
She flicked her ear at him as she chewed a fleshy black root into a pulp before spitting it neatly onto one of the thick leaves she had spread in front of her, idly swatting away his tail. He promptly returned it to her side, ears perking at her calm, cheery mood. "Dare I ask what gives us the pleasure of seeing this splendidly rare mood of yours?"
"Those pathetic kits in that stone bowl are mewling in fear and it does my old heart good to see it." She purred, nudging poppy seeds to the violet-eyed cat she was tending. She nodded as he licked them up before she turned to the fresh pasty pulp she had just chewed to spread on his gash. "I took a peek in from the branches over their camp and they are absolutely petrified! They're all crying about the 'monster' and the 'cannibal cats' roaming their forest. Their forest, Icetail! These idiotic, selfish cats are so afraid that I bet their young ones will be wetting their nests with fear tonight. And get your tail off of me, Icetail, I have no need for games tonight." She finally snapped, shoving the large cat away from where he had sidled up to her side to brush his pelt against her thick fur.
Icetail leaned back, feigning hurt at the cat's sharp tone to hide his disappointment on her quickly souring mood. She snorted, turning away from Shadowbat once she was satisfied with her work. Icetail took a sniff at his son's wound as the young cat drifted back to sleep. "What did you put on it? I know I've smelled it before."
"It's comfrey. One thing these flea-bitten cats have going for them is this forest, herbs here are flourishing despite the season." She meowed, fluffing her fur against the night's cold. Her mind drifted to the morning's fight as she bent to chew a second comfrey root, the throb from her hind legs reminding her of her own wound's need for tending after climbing through the branches of the chilled forest.
She despised the cats that they had battled today, particularly the scarred she-cat that had injured her leg and Shadowbat. Her fur began to slowly bristle as she remembered the young cat's yowl of pain and the ugly cat's look of triumph as she tore her claws through his side. Though Shadowbat was not her true son, he helped heal the pain that every mother feels with losing a kit and she would protect him with her last breath. She would be sure to keep an eye out for that warrior, or perhaps either the white tom or young she-cat that she had seen lingering next to the scarred cat when she collapsed in the small hollow the cats called home. Surely the tom was her mate; if she ran across him in the forest and was in a good mood, she would only wound him cripplingly instead of killing him. That is, only if she had fed well before the encounter…
Her mind drifting on the topic of the she-cat's mate as she licked the poultice into the wound on her leg, Icetail's comment from the morning snapped into her mind and sent anger rippling through her.
"Hey!" She hissed, whirling around to face the larger cat from where he lay sprawled on a pile of crisp brown leaves, the last dregs of her good mood brushed aside. His head snapped up, the fur along his spine pricking as he eyed the bristling cat stomping towards him. "You filthy, no-good, worm-eating-!"
Her climbing yowl of profanities cut into a screech as she leapt towards him, claws glinting in the moon's light as she stretched out her forepaws to meet his back. Icetail's eyes widened as he scrambled from his nest, sending a plume of the dead leaves into Rockfire's face. The she-cat faltered, landing awkwardly as the tom put distance between himself and his wheezing attacker. Fur fluffing out to add to his already impressive size, he eyed her as her wheezing fit subsided.
"What have I done now?" He groaned, rolling his eyes as she snapped her head up to glare at him. He hissed as she sprung at him again, swiping with claws unsheathed a breadth from his nose. He crouched, launching himself on top of her, bowling the spitting cat onto her back. He leaned heavily down on her hind legs, knowing one of her powerful kicks with the right aim could have him limping for days. The dappled cat howled as she squirmed beneath his body weight as he pinned her down, spitting in his face.
"I am not your mate, you blind, worm-eared badger!" She hissed, lashing her tail against the ground before heaving against the heavy cat. A breath whooshed from her as Icetail pushed down onto her, grimacing down at the angry she-cat beneath him as any earlier affection that had been glimmering for her slipped to the back of his mind.
"You're seriously just now ruffling your pelt about that? I like you better when you don't think; at least then you don't remember stupid things to yowl your head off about." He sneered, hissing as she suddenly hooked a hind leg around his leg, raking claws through his fur. He rolled off of the screeching cat, whipping around as she half rolled, half jumped at him. The two fell in a screeching whirl of claws and teeth.
Shadowhorse sighed, watching the two older cats as they howled and hissed obscenities at one another in their scuffle. She glanced over to Shadowbat, checking to make sure her brother was still asleep before rising to her paws. Their make-shift nest was too noisy and all she wanted was a bit of peace and quiet after all the noise she had suffered earlier in the day.
She turned, trotting briskly past her father and Rockfire as she meowed her pardons even though she knew that they fell upon deaf ears. Shaking her head at the ridiculous tempers of the two cats that she knew she would never get used to, she disappeared into the bracken with a wave of her tail.
XxX
Brambleclaw blinked awake, glancing dazedly around as he tried to understand where he was. He caught sight of a thick ginger pelt next to his and the warm, milky scent around him made him realize that he had fallen asleep with Squirrelflight in the nursery. Distantly, he remembered stumbling through the bramble tunnel to the queens' den, sharing tongues wearily with his mate. He turned his attention to his mate and saw that her fur had not been licked nearly as thoroughly as his own pelt had been, warmth spreading through him as he realized his mate had continued to groom his pelt long after he had drifted to sleep. He stood, leaning over to give his mate a gentle lick before turning to leave out the entrance.
Silverpelt met his gaze as he slipped from the nursery, fluffing up his pelt as a chill breeze drifted through the hollow. Dread itched in his pelt as he thought of the upcoming leaf-bare and the shadowy cats that stalked their territory, knowing that the intruders were not going to make the harsh season any easier.
He made his way slowly towards the camp entrance, enjoying the slight tug of the thorny tunnel as he decided that he needed a moment outside of the enclosing stone walls. The memory of the monstrous cats remained fresh in his mind and he knew that a walk alone in the forest was not the safest idea, but he felt his paws pulling him from the camp. Nodding at Cloudtail from his guard post, he padded into the undergrowth, knowing full well that the white warrior might have hesitated to let him leave the camp alone if he wasn't deputy.
Padding quietly through the forest, it was surprisingly easy for him to imagine that there were no cannibal cats in the forest as the leaf-fall-crisp breeze pulled the familiar scents of ThunderClan and woodland through his fur. He could almost believe that his clan was safe, his mate soon to bear his kits in the safe-haven that they called home and his leader strong and healing well from his old wound inflicted by his own half-brother, Hawkfrost. StarClan had promised them peace within their forest for seasons to come.
The peaceful image was swept away as he stepped awkwardly on a fallen branch, sucking in a deep breath as he twisted his puncture wound from Icetail. The image of the scarred warrior sent a chill down his spine as he remembered the strength of the cat, the feel of a single paw slamming into his side was terrifying. Instantly, every shadow in the forest became sinister shapes, shifting and crouching in preparation to attack.
Brambleclaw stopped, lowering his head as he struggled through a shaky sigh to calm himself. He was the ThunderClan deputy, for StarClan's sake, and yet he was shaking like a lost kit in the forest. Steeling his shoulders, he padded briskly on for a few paw steps before he stopped. His lifted his muzzle to taste the air, catching just the barest scent of the old Twoleg place. He hadn't meant to go this far into the forest and, with a quick spin, he made to make his way quickly back to camp.
His paws turned to stone at the sight of the crimson eyes searing through the undergrowth.
XxX
The look on his face was absolutely delicious.
Shadowhorse curled her tail with amusement as the broad-shouldered tabby froze as he turned, knowing that he'd seen her. She didn't really care that she'd been seen; secrecy was no longer a priority since he and his clan had discovered them. She had seen the amber-eyed cat as he drifted through the forest and set it about herself to follow him. He would stop at times and she was sure it was because he had finally scented her, but he would just let out a whispering sigh before continuing on. Originally, she had begun following him as he began heading much too near to her family's nest for her liking, but realized that the cat was simply wandering aimlessly beneath the silver moon light.
But now he had seen her and the look on his face tempted her to draw her tongue across her lips as though she could taste his fear. She was silently impressed by how quickly he recovered from his shock, taking a step towards her as he fluffed out to fur to double his size. She noted that the warrior's size was impressive, but he was dim-witted if he believed that he could intimidate her with size when she had been born to a cat the size of Icetail. She sat, curling her tail neatly around her paws as she met his gaze evenly.
"It's a lovely night to be out, isn't it?" She purred, tilting her head up to glimpse the moon between the reddening leaves of the forest. Watching out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed him falter in his intimidating approach, obviously put off by her relaxed reception of his actions. He eyed her warily as she turned her head to face him fully, a spark of delight shivered to her paws at the anger that bubbled beneath his cautious eyes. She watched as that anger slowly built, drowning out the wary fear in his face as he slowly curled his lips in a snarl.
"You, you're Shadowhorse!" He hissed, his ears flattening against his head as he crouched close to the ground, tail lashing with agitation and rage as she twitched a smirk at him. Cockiness flooded through her at his obvious hesitation to approach her, filling her paws with a little hop as she stood. She pranced her way around him, enjoying how he kept his eyes trained on her. It was fantastic to have an older cat watching her so carefully, like she was a dangerous lick of fire dancing its way towards him. She wouldn't attack this cat on her own, not away from the reinforcement of her family, but she would definitely have a moment of fun toying with him.
"Why yes, how pleasantly observant of you!" Shadowhorse mewed, stopping a few paw steps away from him, relishing his quick back step from her. She hopped forward, receiving a spit from the large, bristling tabby. This was absolute fun! She wiggled her haunches with excitement, sneering at him, "It's just little old me."
She crouched close to the ground, mimicking him as she stared into his amber eyes. Suddenly, quicker than she could really catch, realization flickered through his expression and his muzzle curled into a grin. Taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor, she lowered her ears as she leaned back defensively. Her playfully teasing mood evaporated as he suddenly stood, squaring his shoulders as he stared down at her. While he was not nearly as large as her father, she had to admit that his size was intimidating this close. She hissed as he leaned forwards towards her.
"Why yes, it is little old you.
